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House Bill 4095 would have called on the Oregon Department of Transportation to alert internet service providers when they tear up a roadway so the firm could install broadband lines. But ODOT officials told lawmakers they could implement the plan on their own without the Legislature taking a vote.
(Dough Beghtel/The Oregonian)

Instead of having the Legislature pass the bill, the agency will come up with its own process for alerting ISPs of upcoming roadwork.

Getting better Internet connections into rural America isn't just an Oregon idea. Last week, President Barack Obama unveiled a nearly $3 billion plan to connect an additional 20 million school kids to high-speed Internet.

But as envisioned by HB 4095, the Oregon plan would improve connections with minimal cost.

In a letter to Parrish, ODOT Director Matt Garrett said current law allows ISPs to lay transmission lines next to Oregon highways free of charge as long as they don’t compromise the freeway. He said he’d work with service providers to determine the best way to implement the goal of HB 4095.

“We hope that these efforts will result in the expansion of Internet service across Oregon,” Garrett wrote.

Parrish called it a win for rural Oregon, where many residents in far-flung communities rely on slower service with less bandwidth than cable or fiber-optic broadband.

“The goal is get the infrastructure laid,” Parrish said. “As far as I’m concerned broadband is like the railroad a century ago.”